Many think Payton should’ve waited for the Chargers job. But Herbert would’ve put him through the same stress as Denver version of Russell Wilson. Herbert’s a big arm who always falls apart in clutch time. Ineffective or turnover machine when he’s relied upon for a comeback. It’s not mentioned enough because he’s young and puts up good regular season stats for 3 quarters of each game. He’s been that way for almost 4 seasons now.
There was no perfect situation for Payton to continue coaching unless he waited for Andy Reid to retire to become KC’s coach. He took the immediate available opening because he wanted to continue coaching. He’s been an elite HC for years so he knows how to build his team into a winner if he’s given a couple seasons. 5 games of his first season in Denver or even the first season in Denver doesn’t have any indication how good he’ll be there. Microwave society wants instant results in 5 games but he has damaged goods at QB from the previous HC. He’ll be fine when he has his own QB.